‘Rocketman’ Trailer: Elton John Gets a Fittingly Surreal Teaser

At first glance, the just-released teaser for the Elton John biopic “Rocketman” bears more than a passing resemblance to the trailer for “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the forthcoming drama about Freddie Mercury and Queen. In fact, both films share a director, Dexter Fletcher. He came in to finish “Bohemian Rhapsody” after the original filmmaker, Bryan Singer, departed, although he will not receive screen credit. Fletcher is the sole director on “Rocketman,” however.

The film casts Taron Egerton (who also starred in Fletcher’s 2016 skiing picture “Eddie the Eagle”) as the flamboyant John (who has said he is retiring). The clip serves up familiar-feeling scenes of stadium concerts, recording sessions, drunken debauchery and swimming-pool shenanigans. But it also hints at a surrealistic tone with lavish dance numbers and a scene in which Egerton literally starts to levitate during his rendition of the title tune.

The teaser’s tagline puts an even finer point on it: “Based on a true fantasy.” Would you expect anything less about the original Captain Fantastic?

“Rocketman” — which also features Bryce Dallas Howard as John’s mother; Jamie Bell as his writing partner, Bernie Taupin; Richard Madden as the star’s onetime lover and longtime manager John Reid — touches down in theaters on May 31, 2019.